Perfect Day Inspiration

Hi Crafters,

Have you ever been stuck in a rut using your favourite colours over & over? Or perhaps certain colour combinations? Well if you are anything like me, you order the coloured paper packs in subtles, regals, brights, etc. and then within weeks you have used those minimal three sheets in your favourite colours and are left with a stack of those drab don't-quite-want-to-jump-to-utilise-them ones, but not to worry, we will get around to using them... someday ;)

So what do you do when you get stuck in the same old routine of using the same old colours day in and day out?  Thankfully in today's day & age we are surrounded by avenues that can get our creative juices flowing... do you utilise pinterest, or google images, or follow blog hops, or online crafting social pages?  Some of these avenues offer a range of inspiration from card or scrapbooking layout sketches, to different techniques, or exciting new products that take the ordinary to the extraordinary.  

Today, I want to encourage you to think outside the square.. to expand and build on your favourite colour palette. To be bold.  To be daring.  To try new things.  Yes, you!! 

So for a moment I want you to consider what are your go to colours? Do you stick to white or cream cardbases? Or do you mix it up with bold and bright colours?  Do you use complementary colours or colours that clash but create a statement?

Now I want you to consider a colour you don't use much or at all.  What cardstock colours do you have that would complement or work with that particular colour? Or perhaps you have patterned paper that would work with it? Give it a go and see where it leads... 

For those that know me well, my favourite colours are pink, gold, purple, navy & bermuda bay.  These are my go to colours. So today I tried to team colours together that were a bit different to what I normally would opt for. I tried teaming cardstock together & today it just wasn't gelling (we all have those days, right?) So I decided to start with my patterned paper sheets/ pads & work backwards.  Stick with me here...

This year we have an amazing new product line called "Memories & More".  Whilst this range is aimed primarily at scrapbooking & photo albums, they are a perfect addition to your card making supplies.  There are a range of card packs featuring some gorgeous paper, sentiments, stickers, foil borders and shapes etc. And best of all each pack comes in complementary themes and colours, some of which coordinate perfectly with some of our stamp sets!

So today, I picked up the Perfect Days card pack.  Some of the colours in this set include Basic Black, Emerald Envy, Lemon Lime Twist, Soft Sky, Whisper White & Sahara Sand. This formed the basis of my card inspiration, along with a particular patterned paper card that I really liked. Here is the card I created...

Using the Happiest of Days stamp set, the card base was Emerald Envy, topped with a layer of Lemon Lime Twist & Crumb Cake. 

I hope you have been inspired to step out of your comfort zone and try new colour combinations!  Sometimes when we are pushed outside our comfort zone we produce better results than normal.. Let me know how you get on :)

Till next time,

Lorin xx

Mixing It Up

Hi Crafters,

Welcome to another day of crafting inspiration! Today I want to show you a simple yet effective way of creating an embossed type backdrop for your cards or scrapbooking pages.  With my youngest daughter's 4th birthday fast approaching, this was the perfect opportunity to try this technique out!

For this card I used the large number framelits, however you can easily select other shapes or images to create your own unique designs to suit the occasion! Butterflies, leaves or flowers would look just as pretty! The great thing about this technique is that you don't need a long list of supplies to create it - all you need is the big shot & your choice of framelits & some glue.  

Once you have selected your particular background shape/s & cut them out, lay them out on your cardstock to arrange prior to applying adhesive.  I recommend adhering them using the Tombow Multi-purpose Glue which enables you to manoeuvre the shape into the desired position if placed incorrectly the first time, without ruining or ripping your cardstock trying to replace it. It dries clear, & if you do have glue which can be detected, wait till it dries & then gently rub with a glue removing eraser (the Stampin' Up! one is brilliant) and you won't know it was there! 

And there you have it - super simple but another technique for creating unique and beautiful backgrounds!  

I hope you have been inspired to give this a try! If you need to purchase supplies, head to my online store HERE, & do remember to pop in this month's Hostess Code UK4QTE6Q to receive a little thank you gift from me :)

Enjoy the rest of your week & I'll be back soon with some more crafty inspiration.

Lorin xx

A Change of Seasons

Hi Crafters,

It has been awhile, but boy am I glad to be back in the crafting seat!  The past month for our family has been one of real turbulence and trials.  Thankfully after moving house twice in a four month time period, as spring has rounded the corner here in Melbourne, things are slowly returning back to normal.

There is something contagious and exciting when each season changes, bringing with it an expectancy of hope and anticipation of good things just yonder.  So today I picked up a new stamp set which I absolutely adore - "Count My Blessings".

I love the sentiments contained in this set, but the stamps are just as beautiful.  With autumn acorns, leaves and flowers, this set is versatile and nifty for creating a range of cards or scrapbooking backgrounds.  Today I created a trio of cards, each bringing a unique touch of textured warmth & layers that can be used for any occasion..

The thing I love about stamping and card making/ scrapbooking is that it is entirely up to you how simple or complex you want your end product to be.  With the three cards I created, the first card I opted to keep clean and simple, making it a perfect card for the beginner stamper...

Using Very Vanilla as the card base, I created a central bordered strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock, topped with Crumb Cake.  Using the Chocolate Chip Stampin' Pad, the acorn stamp was then stamped randomly.  Two strips of Chocolate Chip & Very Vanilla were added, and the sentiment was copper embossed & cut out using the Stitched Shapes Framelits.  If you haven't tried heat embossing yet, I definitely recommend it.  The effect is simply stunning and can take any card to another level without overdoing it.  This card was then finished off with copper enamel dots.
  

My second card used a similar pattern using the acorn stamp set, however on this card I introduced water colouring.

  

The base colours remained the same - Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip and Crumb Cake.  Twine was added under the stamped strips, and the strips were raised to add another dimension using Stampin' Dimensionals.  To apply colour to the stamped images, I used Stampin' Markers to highlights the middle and edges of the leaves and acorns, and then coloured them in lightly using Stampin' Up! Watercolour Pencils before going over them with a blender pen.  The sentiment was taken from the stamp set "Wood Words", also available at present in the current annual catalogue, and heat embossed in gold. 

The third card features a large sentiment as the focal point, and features a range of different textures and techniques that come together to create a lovely card for that special someone.

The Chocolate Chip cardstock formed the card base, layered with a sheet of striped patterned paper from one of the Memories & More Card Packs (sorry I can't remember which one). The sentiment was stamped in Calypso Coral on Very Vanilla cardstock, daubered around the edges in Crumb Cake ink to add interest, and framed with Crumb Cake cardstock. The leaves stamp was perfect for creating a patterned strip using Wild Wasabi, and was finished off using twine.  Two copper metal embellishments were added in the top right corner.

I hope I have inspired you to give this stamp set a go... the options are endless!  If you liked my cards or have a question, please feel free to leave me a comment in the comments section below.

If you liked my cards & would like to try your hand at making them, you can purchase these items from my Online Store 24/7. Remember to use the September Host Code UK4QTE6Q at the bottom of your shopping cart to receive free rewards for shopping with me (only available in Australia).

Also be sure to check out the NEW September Craft Kit released this month - $55 including postage & handling within Australia!  

Till next time, happy crafting!

Lorin xx